


We Deserve a Soft Epilogue

by glindasgay (rootcoding)



Category: Mean Girls (2004), Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-07 14:43:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14673285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rootcoding/pseuds/glindasgay
Summary: not sure yet whether i will create a series of oneshots or whether to continue or to write more fics but basically a short gay thing bc the musical inspired me.





	1. Change is the Only Constant.

**Author's Note:**

> created from a prompt sent in on tumblr 'and suddenly... she's kissing her'  
> feel free to send me prompts or come hmu on tumblr @ groolforschool  
> pls let me know what you think ! comments and feedback actually make my entire day   
> go forth and be gay ilu

Nobody can expect to remain eternally the way they had been at middle school, preserved in the sticky goop of early adolescence, and Janis Sarkisian was certainly no exception to this rule. She had grown and evolved throughout those passing years; from the closest friend to a blossoming socialite on the rise before becoming the ousted weirdo, ridiculed and dismissed; she had almost been reborn. Yet to her core, she held her childhood defiance dear and her young heart was still full of a hope she’d tried so hard to choke down and hide behind her charcoal-rimmed eyes and many-layered outfits - even in her glamorous suit fashioned to flatter her for Spring Fling, Janis stood out amongst the other girls proudly. She was aware of her own growth, but that didn’t mean she  _ had _ to accept other people’s. No, some wounds were too deep.

“Go away, Regina.” Her tone almost tired as the blonde tottered in through the bathroom door, but showed no sign of entering an open stall; Janis had neither the time nor energy for this argument, not tonight. Trying hard not to recognise the swell of pity that almost rose up at the sight of the head brace, she reluctantly turned to face her ex-nemesis. “Shouldn’t you be out there with your subjects?” Guilt could make you bitter, and didn’t they both know it.

“Oh, calm down, Jan. If that requires you to remove yourself and take some medication or paint a picture then go ahead - I can wait.” She spoke like the retorts, poisonous stories, rolled so easily off her tongue that she almost wished she could bite them back, and Janis couldn’t help but notice that she had not seen Regina look so uncertain for many years. What could she possibly want?

Oh well, Janis did not have the time. The party was just getting started in the school hall and as much as this was  _ so _ not her kind of event, she knew Damien would never forgive her prolonged absence. Besides, Regina couldn’t possibly have anything to say to Janis, not after everything. The two were too far gone. That was probably why it shocked her so greatly when a beautifully manicured hand reached out to grasp her arm and restrict her exit with a surprising strength. She tried to ignore it, the thrill in her stomach at their proximity (of course) but mostly the hurt in the blonde’s brilliant blue eyes. They had once seemed so cold, piercing and alienating - Regina could make you feel so small, so insignificant. Janis knew that all too well, but what she also had witnessed firsthand was how she could take you from your exile and place you into the spotlight, how she could make you feel like the only person she could see, important and proud. A smirk adorned Janis’ own features as she noticed the indignation in those blue eyes at being ignored, that her words had not caused an outburst.

“What do you want?” Janis huffed.

“I came to talk, obvs.” It was hard for the blonde to look dignified, to toss her hair and pout as she might have once done, with the metal bars imprisoning that face that was still achingly beautiful. Damn, the girl had been hit by a bus and she was still the most stunning girl for miles. Janis looked away. “I don’t make a habit of following girls into bathrooms.”

“‘Course not, that’d be gay, right? Wouldn’t want anything thinking you were a lesbian.” There was an absence of bitterness in her tone; forgiveness had started to bleed into her anger the moment she had thought she had lost Regina for good. Hah, lost her - a ridiculous thought when Regina had been nothing for her to lose for years. But the moment that bus had collided against her flesh, the raven-haired outcast had only been torn by her remorse and regret.

“Perhaps -” Janis’ words seemed to have caused great discomfort in the taller girl. She looked, for the first time, a lot like the young girl that had once giggled at late at sleepovers with her, prank called local takeaways and helped come up with elaborate excuses to miss gym together. In that moment, Janis felt a kind of grief. There had never been a lingering trace of their old life on her successful ex-friend. Regina had moved up, stepped out of it as if the past was a skin she could shed. A butterfly that had emerged from a cocoon, brighter and more beautiful than before, leaving Janis behind in the cold. She had mocked and scorned her, but now she looked so small and frightened as though something hovered right on the tip of her tongue that she couldn’t quite say. She wasn’t yet ready for words.

And then suddenly, she was kissing her. Regina George had reached forward and seized her; she was kissing her. The shock immobilised Janis for a moment as Regina’s glossed lips came crashing down onto her own, tugging her by the arm she still grasped as she could not lean forwards with her brace. She brought Janis colliding into her instead. The world shrank. Everything was immediate. Everything was Regina. Janis prided herself on her defiance yet here was no resistance. Soft blonde hair tickled at her neck, brushed her unpainted cheeks. Regina’s perfumed scent was all she could smell, and the sticky glossy pink was smeared across her own lips. It didn’t take long however, for Janis to move closer, her fingers snaking around her waist to draw her close, ever conscious of the brace drilled into her neck. It forced her to remain gentle although she fought the instinct to push the other girl back against the bathroom wall, to kiss harder and more fiercely as though she could force a confession for all the pain she’d caused past those busy lips. Certainly, Regina was being less than soft with her, fingernails digging into the fabric of her jacket, fighting their way under her top to press against her stomach in a way that caused Janis to hiss softly into the taller girl’s parted lips.

Drawing back quickly, she was satisfied to see Regina looking suitably disheveled, panting slightly and struggling to compose herself. It was hard to equate how long they had been there; the world had appeared to stand still even as the dimmed noises from the hall pounded through the white walls. There was a nervousness there in Regina’s wide eyes, something uncharacteristic and oddly attractive, but her quick ability to pull herself together was far more familiar. Janis’ own confusion was burning with a new curiosity. Had Regina been projecting all these years? Could it be possible the ice queen of North Shore could really have wanted her?

“Why’d you stop?” There was a tremor in Regina’s light trilling tone that Janis fought the urge to smile at, the desperation and uncertainty in the other girl was so uncommon it was nearly unsettling. But there was a tenderness inside Janis now, like a bruise that only Regina seemed to be able to press, that sought to comfort the distressed blonde.

“There’s a party going on out there. You’re nominated for Spring Fling Queen, remember?” Reaching out, she made a half-hearted symbolic attempt at fixing the misplaced lipgloss now covering Regina’s chin and upper lip but the mess was really too great to fix, and left the girl alone in the bathroom with only a parting smirk and a newfound confidence. Perhaps this party wasn’t a complete waste of her time after all. “I’d give it a couple of minutes before following," she called over her shoulder, "- wouldn’t want any rumours spreading.”


	2. No One Needs To Know.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> janis and regina in the projection room hiding from gretchen and karen and discussing (kinda) when to tell them about them dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> created from a prompt sent in on tumblr about them hiding their relationship from the plastics. kinda loosely based bc i got off track sorry whoops.  
> feel free to send me prompts or come hmu on tumblr @ groolforschool  
> pls let me know what you think ! comments and feedback actually make my entire day  
> go forth and be gay ilu

With Regina it was always difficult. Janis had not expected easy. She’d known the blonde socialite for so long, it would have been beyond naive to expect something soft and simple. Something open and known to the student body, or even their closest friends. Well, Damian knew - of course, but he’d been sworn to the kind of secrecy only the fear of Regina George’s wrath could inspire in a person. But if someone had told Janis a month ago she would be hiding from Gretchen and Karen in the projection room above the auditorium with Regina’s body pressed tight against hers as she held her against the wall, each curve of her body aching pushing against her own, she would have laughed right in their face.

Despite the frantic kissing, the hurried need that always seemed to burn between them, Janis sought to slow down. They  _ had _ to rush,  _ had _ to hide,  _ only _ because Regina did not wish to confess to her fellow plastics where she spent the first half hour after the final bell, or every other lunchtime when she passed Janis in the hall and decided that, despite her ludicrous thrift store outfits and gothic makeup, she looked too good to ignore. There was no way she could confess that lust, but especially not the growing romantic feelings between them that had blossomed into something undeniable. Hiding was a temporary measure, but it felt like safety for now. Once they spoke out, they’d have to defend a relationship that was still young and precious. How cruel it would be to subject something so beautiful to the cruelty she had once inflicted on others? It was a painful irony that Regina now feared the very mentality she had once helped to propagate.

“We have to tell them some time.” It was difficult to speak with Regina’s lips on her throat, an effect Janis was certain the other girl was not oblivious to. Only Regina could attempt to seize the upper hand with her make up disheveled, backed up against the wall. “At least we won’t have to sneak around like this.”

“I don’t mind this.” Breathless and teasing, Regina drew back smirking as Janis moaned at the loss of contact. “Aren’t you enjoying yourself?”

“You’re a manipulative bitch, you know that?” The gasp she gave as Regina’s lips returned to her needy flesh, her teeth catching a particularly tender spot on her neck, softened the cut of her words. Once Janis would have spoken them with malice, but now there was an oddly affectionate edge to her chiding.

“You love it.” Regina purred against her skin, clearly assuming she had won this argument.

“If we tell them, we can do this more often.” To illustrate her point Janis returned to kissing Regina, allowing her lips to trace a pattern from the girl’s throat to her lips, peppering her skin with soft marks that were careful not to become bruises - she knew Regina would kill her if they became visible. Regardless, the satisfaction of it was never wasted on her, that this beautiful girl was hers to hold and kiss, to push roughly back against the wall with her hands climbing beneath her shirt until she gasped and Janis drew back, assured that she had delivered her point.

“I thought it would bother you too, them knowing you’re -” Regina trailed off, still a little breathless from Janis’ assault.

“What? A lesbian?” Janis could not help but laugh openly. The confusion and subsequent irritation at feeling in the dark written all over Regina’s face was too funny to deny. “Regina, people have known I was gay since eighth grade or do you not remember? No, this is your turn. At least you get the satisfaction of coming out when you actually have a girlfriend.”

“A girlfriend?” The surprise in Regina’s tone was like a knife to the gut and it took fighting every instinct for Janis not to turn and run. She wouldn’t have even cared if the plastics were waiting outside the door with pitchforks; in that moment, she felt like a spotlight was glaring down and blinding her. Her emotions vulnerable and open, excruciatingly so. “Is that what you are?”

“I mean - ” Suddenly it was Janis’ turn to stammer, unsure quite where to look. Had she made too bold an assumption? But what else was she to think with Regina’s lipstick on the collar of her denim jacket and her fingertips tracing patterns under her tattered tshirt across her stomach? “If you wanted - I just thought - ”

“No, I like it.” Regina spoke like a declaration. They were together, the Queen of North Shore High had declared it so. Janis could not help but blush with relief and the weakness of it infuriated her, though it seemed to amuse Regina to no end. “We’ll tell them - soon.”

“Coolness.” Janis gave her best Regina impression, higher pitched and barbie-esque in tone. It was one she usually saved just for Cady and Damian, and it earned her a sharp pinch at her side from her girlfriend’s manicured nails but she could only laugh. Janis wasn’t sure if anything or anyone could make bring her down right now.


	3. What's Wrong With Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so this one is actually from gretchen's pov with her unrequited love for regina that she only came to recognise later on in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> created from a prompt sent in on tumblr 'gretchen being hella gay for regina and not realizing it'. bc i didn't want to get too heavily into the angst of writing it current (although i might one day) i wrote it like her reflecting back on it and realising.  
> warning for discussion of anxiety.  
> feel free to send me prompts or come hmu on tumblr @ groolforschool  
> pls let me know what you think ! comments and feedback actually make my entire day   
> go forth and be gay ilu

Insecurity had always plagued Gretchen Wieners and in time, aided by hormones and poor choices, it had evolved into an unstoppable force throughout her teenage years that drove her to desperation and despair. High school had been far more than a bitchy four year fight to the death for Gretchen culminating in a hyperbolic attempt at forgiveness and reparation; it had often felt like life or death. Even now, years later, curled up beside a wife she knew loved her unconditionally, she could feel the tremors, the aftershocks of an anxiety she had not quite recovered from. It was a second-hand trauma, she knew that. All those she had condemned and mocked, the poor students whose educational experience was bullet-holed by shots _she_ had fired all in an attempt to shield herself from the attack.  

Regina had been merciless. The fiercest, meanest leader the plastics could have ever hoped to follow. There had always been something about her, something magnetic. She was beautiful, sure. A tall, statuesque blonde bombshell with a heart carved from ice, or so she wanted them all to believe. But that wasn’t the entirety of her appeal. Her focus was addictive, to be the centre of Regina’s world was a fleeting high but like soaring majestically above the rest. It was a superiority; it was a comfort. All she had desired was to be valued, to be needed. For so long Gretchen had chalked it all up to a platonic need for proximity, catalysed by an anxiety that felt like earthquakes in her ribcage. Stuttering breaths passed trembling lips as the shock hit her bones with a force not recorded on any richter scale, just from a simple hug or touch - just from a phone call ignored or a text left on read.  _ Does she want me? Why does she reject me? How can I make myself needed? _ Her fingers would ball to fists and jam tightly inside her pockets, fingernails digging deep into sweaty palms, as she watched Regina coo and fawn over some other girl. It was a war she was never caught fighting.

Even now, the memory of Regina’s ice cold stare cut her deep. The recollection of the swooping in her stomach as Regina complimented her hair, or even shot her a half-grin in response to a joking comment she had spent all night rehearsing, was enough to remember the burning ache. Regina had kept her grounded but the minute Gretchen had felt her hands slip away, her feet couldn’t seem to grasp anything at all. Tripping on memories she couldn’t turn into history. 

It had been a complex infatuation; she could say that now. If you repress anything for long enough it came bubbling up in ways you didn’t expect, and for Gretchen that had taken years. There was no denying the desire she had only managed to call by its name during her years at college. The first time she had kissed a girl, really kissed her, all she could think about was Regina’s soft glossed lips or the way her curls would gleam in the light and the realisation of her feelings was like climbing a staircase expecting one more step and falling into the abyss. She’d spent her high school years condemning girls like Janis Sarkisian for a trait she also possessed. Perhaps it was her own treatment of the outcasted artist, the way Gretchen had witnessed the object of her own affections cast Janis aside after years of friendship, that had inspired those walls and barriers that hid her romantic desire behind platonic intentions. She had learnt to give and give, without ever crossing a line into a desire that would earn her only rejection and detestation.

Gretchen had always fallen for any girl who showed her the slightest attention, who allowed her to serve and mimic with only the slightest chance of receiving gratitude in return. Regina had only been the first in a long line of girls Gretchen had worshipped. It was not until after she had met her own future-wife, was dating and content, that she discovered Regina’s own buried secrets. So, Regina may never have felt for Gretchen the way she had wanted her to but she was not as pure as she had painted. Her reconciliation and relationship with Janis had gone public recently and it was a mark of how far the anxious girl had come that her codependency did not flare up like a rash at the sight. She did not cry or begin to plot a sabotage or revenge; Janis had already done enough of that for them all. She merely smiled, grateful that they had all journeyed on to a safer place where they no longer felt that there was anything wrong with them.


	4. Secrets That Cannot Be Kept.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> regina's first day back in senior year when everyone knows she's gay, turning up with her girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> created from a prompt sent in on tumblr 'regina finally sees how bad it is for janis (bullying/homophobia)'. kinda loosely based like all of mine are bc i got off track sorry whoops.  
> feel free to send me prompts or come hmu on tumblr @ groolforschool  
> pls let me know what you think ! comments and feedback actually make my entire day  
> go forth and be gay ilu

It had not taken long. She was not sure what she had foreseen happening but they had all turned on her so sharply, Regina was certain she could feel the cut. Slurs and jokes bandied about like light-hearted teasing - as if this wasn’t something more, as if this wasn’t who she was. It became harder for her to hold her head high. Summer had passed in a blur of flushed kisses and secret rendezvous until their romance had blossomed into the spotlight. But that was all very well when there was no music to face each day, no hierarchy to attempt to top. The very suggestion of strolling in through those school gates with her head held high, ready for senior year, with the student body aware of her sexuality was so averse, she felt she could be sick. 

Nausea built in Regina’s gut. A squeezing, ugly sensation. There was something else there too, a burning guilt. A knowledge that this very fear had been so often brought on by her in the years gone past. Perhaps she deserved this, perhaps this was all divine punishment if she could even bring herself to believe in such a thing. Oh God, how did Janis get through this? Poor Jan. Now, Regina could cry at the thought of the pain she had inflicted. It was a display of her selfish nature, she thought, that only when she now faced that same prospect did she feel true empathy. Her own projection had not only lost Janis her closest friend, but her entire standing in the world. It was like having the world pulled out from beneath your feet. 

Janis had always stood without flinching, but Regina wore had panic like a separate set of clothes. She dug her own perfectly manicured nails into the skin of her arms, hugging her crossed limbs close to her chest. Only relinquishing that grasp when she paused occasionally to press down her carefully selected outfit. She’d done her research, often under the mocking gaze of her girlfriend, and discovered that, although she appreciated it on other girls, Regina could not commit herself to what her girlfriend affectionately dubbed ‘the gay dress code’. She looked plain in plaid and double denim was too far a fashion crime for her to cross that boundary. No, she had spent much of last year in sweatpants and felt grateful, at last, to be back clad in a short skirt and plunging neckline. Not that she had managed to lose all the weight she had gained, but Regina no longer cared about dropping three pounds. In fact, she quite liked her swelling curves and it was hard to hate anything her girlfriend hungered for so genuinely. 

And there she was, waiting for her just as she had promised. With her characteristic slouch, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her shorts layered horrendously over laddered tights. Regina couldn’t help herself, she smiled when she saw Janis run her fingers nonchalantly through the soft stubble of her side-shave. She’d been growing it out all summer and the awkward lopsided look was still kind of cute; Regina admitted that readily now. It was hard to believe that after everything, she was waiting there for her. 

Now was not a good time to offer the apology she longed to give. Regina had, of course, attempted to verbalise her guilt before this moment, but there had not been a time she had felt that same genuine terror she had inflicted before now. She wanted to say that she understood, that she regretted inflicting this on her then-friend, now-girlfriend. Janis seemed to feel the fear that made her hands tremble and reached out to grasp them, squeezing gently. This is going to be okay. 

She bent down and pressed her lips lightly against Janis’, feeling the soft smile against her own. It was warm and sweet but there was something new there. They were building this on a solid foundation; both had seen the other at their worst. Regina’s own childhood embarrassment had become poison in her system; the stillness of her guilt had held them captive for years. It was the kind of silence you could not break, as though it was the axis that held an illusion in place. If no one moved, this was not real, this was not wrong. Sometimes that stillness still crept into Regina’s bones, taking root inside her and crawling up, strangling the reality surrounding her. It was easier to process her guilt, her overwhelming discomfort with being outcasted, alone, but with Janis held close to her she felt so vividly how wrong she had been all these years. Regina pulled back to break the kiss but Janis only leant in closer, her hands shifting to grip her waist. Warmth flooded Regina like water in a jug, stretching to fill her down to her fingers and toes. They had salvaged their bond from a warzone of their own creation and now she could feel only softness for the dorky art freak in her arms. 

“Are you ready?” Janis didn’t whisper, but her voice lowered slightly as she slipped down off her toes and shrugged her spiked backpack onto her shoulders. 

“Do I look ready?” There was sarcasm in her tone but it was marred by the tremble, the anxiety that crept beneath the surface. 

“You look hot?” Janis offered with a grin. 

“I always look hot.” It became easier to summon bravado with Janis, tossing blonde curls over her shoulder and raising her perfectly shaped brows. It was all a joke now, that history they shared, but it meant more to Regina as she thought about their future. 

“C’mon,” Janis tugged her hand gently and Regina followed obediently with a soft smile dawning on her ever-pretty features. “We gotta face the music sometime. Damian’s excited to see our ‘big gay entrance’.” 

Regina wouldn't have been seen dead with Janis Sarkisian and her souped up salvation army outfits this time last year, but today she would have followed her anywhere. Even being thrown to the wolves she had once led, she did not care. She felt protected, or at least at peace. If Janis had suffered through this alone, Regina was certain she could do it with her by her side.


	5. A Chance For Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> several years after graduation, regina comes to see janis' first proper art exhibition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> created from a prompt sent in on tumblr 'something to do with janis's art'  
> feel free to send me prompts or come hmu on tumblr @ groolforschool  
> pls let me know what you think ! comments and feedback actually make my entire day   
> go forth and be gay ilu

Regina strolled through the exhibition with the same trademark confidence she wore like an accessory, like a shield. It drew more eyes to her than the art that adorned the walls and yet her gaze informed you of how little she cared. There was no recognition of the attention she attracted, only a cold smirk. Something empty. Something alluring. She’d always thought she looked striking in red, a bright blazer over a smart pantsuit. The years had changed her, but not as much as they perhaps should have. Regina was aware of her cruel streak, it was not easily tamed, but she tried to use it for better causes now. People followed her; they always had. Now she was trying to find somewhere better to lead them.

That didn’t have much to do with where she was tonight. She’d cleared out of work early. It was the final night of the weekend exhibition and she’d finally worked up the courage to visit. The art gallery she now paraded through was almost empty. It was the artist’s first proper exhibition and they’d struggled to attract a proper crowd despite their ample talent. There were around twenty paintings, wild colours and bold strokes. Janis had always been creative with her interpretations.

There appeared to be one one other person in the gallery besides her. A balding man standing beside the most gory of pieces - a bodiless female head painted to perfection and floating serene above the carnage of its body. The ends of its blonde locks dipped red with blood that matched the perfect lipstick Janis had given the empty faced woman in the piece. Regina was drawn closer by curiosity, and bit back a laugh when she read the small plastic inscription beside the painting and its price;  _ ‘Plastic’ by Janis Sarkisian _ .

“It’s interesting, don’t you think?” The man had glasses he pushed constantly up his nose. It was an irritating habit to witness but Regina plastered an admiring smile on her pretty features. She had always known how to play men, long before she learnt that her attraction lay elsewhere. “It tells a story.”

“It’s wonderful.” She wasn’t lying. The art was as striking as its artist, as wild and untamed as well. Regina felt a sense of familiarity as she surveyed the gruesome illustration. She had never quite understood art, but she had a suspicion that this piece was quite simple for her to interpret.

“It’s certainly memorable.” He moved to turn away with a sigh.

“You should buy it.” A direction disguised as a suggestion. Just to plant the seed of an idea. Regina batted her long lashes, her warm smile turning coy. It was as if nothing in the world would bring her more joy than to see this man purchase the painting between them. He was clearly swayed by her. Nobody else was buying the paintings, so she was going to egg some sales along. Besides, the work was masterful. Janis’ raw talent and voice could be felt from every wall. “If you like it that much.”

Regina strolled away from the stranger, leaving him to discuss a price with a rather cute-looking girl who clearly worked for the gallery. If it had been any of occasion, Regina might have asked for her number. But she had other reasons for being here. 

Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to a piece on the far wall. A rather abstract painting of two women intertwined. Regina couldn’t help but smile as she remembered Janis’ blunt and open statements, the way she didn’t shy away from the crude or private. It felt like she was intruding on a personal moment as she watched the two women in the room, frozen and immortalised in the act of passion. She simply had to buy it.

Almost clear out the door and into the bright lights of a city not quite going to sleep, Regina startled when a familiar voice called out after her. She froze. Turning on heel, tossing her long blonde curls across her shoulders with her usual supermodel-esque confidence, Regina found herself face-to-face with her oldest friend and past enemy.

“Thanks for buying - Oh.” The surprise registered quickly on Janis’ features. “Regina? Shit, really?”

“You haven’t changed a bit.” Regina deflected. She didn’t want to answer questions about why she was here, about the painting. Janis looked near-identical to how she had presented herself at graduation. Her undercut had grown out, the rest of her hair was no longer dip dyed blonde and had been cut shorter, but she still wore her traditional smokey eye and dark lipstick to match her dark, layered outfits. On anyone else, Regina would not have been able to hold back her judgement, but on Janis it felt like coming home. The first familiar sight in years.

“No, I have,” There was a seriousness in Janis’ tone that spoke truth. They had grown up, both of them. Regina found herself blushing despite herself. 

“So have I.” She spoke the words like a promise.  _ I’m better now, I swear it - I’m sorry _ .

Janis shrugged off Regina’s soft words and nodded towards the bag in her hand. “What’d you buy?”

“‘ _ Loveless Romance _ ’” Regina partially withdrew the piece from its bag, revealing the sexual painting in all its glory.

“Well, that’s a  _ gay _ choice.” For a moment Janis seemed to forget her discomfort as she laughed. The sound warmed Regina through to her core and she smiled softly in return - almost a little shy.

“I’m trying this thing where I’m more open with who I am.” It was a kind of peace offering in a way. Regina had never much learned to grovel and she’d said her apologies to Janis years ago, huddled in the corner of the Spring Fling dance in her ridiculous halo and out of her mind on pain medication. This was different, this was a pain that had aged into a kind of grief. They were old enough now to see each other as people, flawed and true. Regina was no longer some untouchable demoness to Janis, and in turn she could only see the raven haired artist as a poor girl whose heart she had broken. 

“Right.” The word was stilted and uncomfortable. It tore into Regina’s barriers and her smile faltered.

“Do you want to get a drink?” Rushed and a little anxious, the words spilled past her lips before sensibility could hold them back. “With me?”

“I always want a drink.” Janis said, the joke lost a little in her nervousness, her eyes flickering around the empty exhibit. “We’re closing up now anyway. You sure you want to?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to, don’t be thirsty.” The familiar saying made them both laugh, Regina a little awkwardly and Janis with a more relaxed smile. There was a history there both paved with tragedy and first love. This could be their chance to rediscover each other.

Regina waited, leaning back against the wall like a model on her lunch break, by the door while Janis got ready, shutting up and collecting her earnings. She had to admit, watching Janis direct the staff with her artwork brought a rush of admiration to the surface. How could she make that homeless chic look so appealing, so  _ attractive _ ? It was so effortless, so authentically her. No other girl could hold a candle to Janis, they never had been able to. As the budding artist approached her, Regina felt the sweet surrender of second chances and reached out to grasp Janis’ hand. Tugging her down the road with a carefree laugh, she towered over the other girl in her six inch heels but Janis did not struggle to keep up. Without another thought, she stopped and pressed a chaste kiss to Janis’ lips.

“Let’s go. We've wasted enough time already.”


End file.
